"I might try to break him out of his shoes; it might take him a while to get back into them,'' Brumbies lock Scott Fardy said. ''Just rip one off, throw it into the crowd and see if he can get a new one.

"I think they're about size 17 and made in America for gridiron. There aren't too many of those going around."

The Brumbies will take on Wallabies rookie Skelton when they play arch rivals the NSW Waratahs at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

Skelton looms as one of the biggest threats to the injury-hit Brumbies' hopes of toppling the Australian conference-leading Waratahs.

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But the 22-year-old will cool his heels on the Waratahs bench, with coach Michael Cheika opting to use his rising giant as a impact weapon late in the game less than a week after he made his starting debut for the Wallabies.

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After just one Test he is already being touted as the Wallabies' secret weapon for the World Cup in England next year.

And after spending the past three weeks training with the NSW giant, Fardy knows better than most how hard it is to stop Skelton.

"He's definitely a good player, I enjoyed playing with him. He has such a big physical presence and it's something Australian rugby hasn't had in a while," Fardy said.

"We just have to play a different game to what they offer."

The Brumbies returned to training in chilly Canberra conditions on Tuesday, coming together as a squad for the first time in a month after Wallabies duties and the Singapore world club 10s tournament split up the roster.

The minus 1 degree, wind and rain added to the club's injury woes, with up to eight players unavailable to play against the Waratahs.

Matt Toomua was to have more scans on his adductor on Tuesday afternoon, but appears unlikely to take his place at fly-half.

Rookie hooker Ruaidhri Murphy and Luke Holmes will battle for the rake duties with the Brumbies losing all of their hookers – Stephen Moore, Josh Mann-Rea and Siliva Siliva – to injuries.

Regular prop Murphy could have the edge in the battle for the starting spot because he has been with the Brumbies for three seasons, despite having never played a game as hooker.

But the Brumbies are adamant the injury woes have not affected their confidence as they aim for back-to-back play-off berths for the first time since 2003-04.

They need to win their last two games of the regular season to have any hope of securing Australia's guaranteed finals spot.

Skelton and cross-code superstar Israel Folau will lead the Waratahs charge in a team that boasts internationals in almost every position.

Brumbies prop Ben Alexander missed the Wallabies' three-Test series against France to recover from a nerve injury in his neck, but has regained strength to take his place in the clash against the Waratahs.